This invention relates generally to closure devices and more specifically to a safety closure device for use on bottles containing pressurized beverages such as champagne or sparkling wines.
The drinking of champagne or sparkling wine is usually associated with happiness and frivolity. Unfortunately this happiness and frivolity has all too often ended in tragedy because of injuries caused by flying corks. Because of pressure inside a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine, particularly if the wine has been shaken or is warmer than recommended, a cork can be propelled from the bottle at a velocity of well over 100 mph. Unattentive individuals opening the bottle or persons standing nearby can be seriously injured by these flying corks.
Since the shape of a champagne cork is compatible with the adult eye socket, injuries resulting from flying champagne corks are typically eye associated. Severe eye damage, or even complete loss of eyesight, can result from these accidents. Of course, other injuries are possible, such as injuries to teeth, or damage to adjacent property such as glasses or windows.
The problem of premature or inadvertent explosive release of champagne corks is exacerbated by the fact that many lower priced champagnes and sparkling wines are closed by molded plastic corks. Such plastic corks possess an even greater tendency than natural corks to become dislodged as a result of internal pressure in the bottle. In addition, the slipperiness of plastic is sometimes increased when the cork is molded because of a residue of the release agents often used to facilitate removal of a hot plastic cork from the mold in which it is made. Wetness on the glass surface of the bottle as a result of condensation or seepage of the contents can also reduce friction between the surface of the glass and the surface of the plastic cork.
Bottlers of champagne and sparkling wines have utilized a variety of techniques to prevent inadvertent release of corks from bottles. These techniques have included the employment of wire and plastic wrappings and metal restraining devices, most of which are complex, expensive, and require care in their removal. Moreover, with nearly all of these devices, once the restraining device has been removed, the cork is free to fly out of the bottle if it is not manually restrained. Although many champagne bottlers now include "flying cork" warning notices and restraining device removal instructions on their labels, unfortunately, in situations where champagne and sparkling wines are typically used, it is not always reasonable to expect the exercise of care and caution that is required to avoid injury.
Various types of tethers for bottle stoppers are well known in the prior art. Examples of these are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 773,345 (1904), U.S. Pat. No. 1,265,263 (1918) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,117 (1966). Moreover, the use of tear strips in molded closures in order to form integral tethers is also well known (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,409 (1976)). Although the foregoing patents and other prior art may be satisfactory for certain types of closures, the peculiar characteristics of containers with pressurized ingredients, such as champagne and sparkling wines, make prior art efforts unsuitable. This is because of the need for a closure device in which the tether is always attached to the cork while also permitting the manipulation necessary to extricate the cork from the bottle. Ironically, especially if the champagne is properly chilled and therefore at reduced pressure, removal of the cork is sometimes difficult.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved closure device for a bottle or the like which is particularly well suited for use in connection with champagne and sparkling wines.
It is another object of this invention to provide a safety closure device for bottles containing pressurized liquids such as champagne or sparkling wines.
It is a another object of this invention to provide a tethered safety closure device for use on bottles containing pressurized liquids such as champagne or sparkling wines which will enable the cork to be easily released from the bottle but which will restrain the cork from flying free.
It is another object of this invention to provide a safety closure device for champagne or sparkling wine that eliminates the need for secondary applications of additional restraining devices such as wire baskets, shrink wraps or other retainer devices.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a safety cork device that eliminates the need to manually restrain the champagne cork as it is being removed from the bottle.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a safety cork device incorporating a tamperproof safety seal that unmistakeably indicates when the seal has been tampered with.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings.